In 2014, marijuana will become more legal in Colorado than anywhere else in the world. Photograph: /Photo By Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post

Ricardo Baca answered reader questions today for nearly two hours. Scroll down to read through the highlights

When Colorado's recreational marijuana law goes into effect on January 1, the Denver Post will be ready. Veteran reporter Ricardo Baca, the paper's music and entertainment editor, will take on a new beat: pot. The Post anticipates that the business and culture of marijuana will be Colorado's biggest story this year, and has put Baca at the helm of its coverage. And as Baca explained on the Post this week, he isn't exactly a stranger to Mary Jane:

I’ve covered concerts for a living over the last 15 years. That means hanging out with musicians, working with people in the industry, attending music festivals in Austin and the Coachella valley and New York and LA. So yes. And though I’ve never been a full-on stoner, I’ve shared concerts and conversations and late-night sessions at the bar, and had Twitter wars with thousands of them.

Ricardo Baca will join us today to talk all things pot with Guardian readers during a live Q&A. We asked him a couple of questions to get started, but ask him anything you want to know in the comments and check back at 2pm ET | 7pm GMT to read his responses.

What kinds of marijuana-related stories do you want to tell?

On January 1, 2014, pot will be more legal in Colorado than anywhere else in the world. It's true. The Post already owns this news beat in Colorado, but we want to expand on the very important legislation coming out of the state house and city council. We also want to tell stories from the perspectives of the dispensary owner, the cannabis consumer, the anti-pot activists, the growhouse workers and the suburban group of moms who get together once a week to semi-secretly smoke out in their basements or backyards. We'll also document how Colorado laws vary from those in Washington, Uruguay and the Netherlands. And we'll talk about the best video games of the year to play while under the influence, American TVs trending toward pot-friendliness and lots, lots more.

Some freelancers will write news from those pot hotbeds I mentioned. Others will write criticism, reviewing different strains of weed and all types of edibles. I'm still looking for many of these freelance positions, so if you're an experienced writer with a story to tell, hit me up. Bonus points if you live in any of the aforementioned places.

So how does someone end up a marijuana editor anyway?

So after nine years as the Post's music critic and another two years as the paper's entertainment editor, I was approached about this job last month. There's a bit more to the story, starting with The Underground Music Showcase (UMS), which I co-founded with my buddy. More than 10 years later we found ourselves with 300-plus bands filling out 30 venues over four days in Denver's arty Baker neighborhood. A few years into the festival, I founded the music blog Reverb (heyreverb.com). And with colleagues and mostly volunteer freelancers, we built it into one of the region's most vital music resources. Both The UMS and Reverb are still thriving and my editors said it was partially that ability to create something from scratch that got them thinking about appointing me to the new pot editor position.

Do you have an interesting job or know someone who does? To suggest the next A Day's Work Q&A, email Ruth Spencer

Highlights from the Q&A:

At the moment, yes. But there's no money in the budget for that. There is, however, money in the budget for freelancers. And yes, we are still in the market for a freelance pot critic - a position that must be located in the great state of Colorado. Interested parties for the Colorado-only critic position or pitches for stories (coming from anywhere on Earth pot is news) can be directed to me at rbaca@denverpost.com

This comment has been chosen by Guardian staff because it contributes to the debate

I'm assuming this exempts you from any random drug testing the paper may run on employees?

Yes, I'm wondering the same thing.

As the laws now stand, can an employer dismiss an employee who tests positive for marijuana on a drugs test, and if so would the dismissed employee have grounds for taking legal action against the employer?

Doppler, yes a company can fire an employee for a positive test. Will the employee have legal footing to appeal? From what I've read, I don't believe so. Here's one of the more high-profile cases involving American football player Von Miller. He tested positive, and even though he lives in a state where it's a legal activity, his workplace (the Denver Broncos, our NFL franchise) suspended him: http://bit.ly/191iJB3

I doubt the Post goes in for random drug testing - especially of journos - but the general point here is interesting....there are plenty of CO companies that do this and word is some will maintain the Federal stance - i.e., pot illegal. I'm sure this will be one (of many) grey areas - probably heading to the courts.

Many grey areas indeed. And that's what makes this such a fantastic story. Sides on both sides are intensely passionate. The phrase "brave new world" is being used all over the place for a reason - Colorado really is a testing grounds of sorts. Washington state is absolutely watching, and so is Uruguay. I'm sure the Dutch are curious as well.

Great question. I have a note out to a dispensary/grower pal, and I'll reply back here if he gets back to me. I do know that a large majority of legal cannabis here is grown indoors (our growing season is short given the high altitude/snow), but I also know that growers are talking about greenhouses.

Hey, Mujokan. A colleague of mine Ean Seeb runs Denver Relief, a prominent Colorado dispensary, and here's what he had to say about your question: "Legalization will of course lead to a greater supply of cannabis. However, the growing conditions in Colorado do not allow for a long outdoor season, therefore it is realistic that we will see a evolution into greenhouse grows to supplement existing indoor cultivation facilities. Regarding health benefits, one could reasonably argue that the greater supply of cannabis, the greater the health benefit for the general public. The more cannabis that is grown the more people it can help!"Hope that helps.

Spiralpad, it is commonly referred to as dominoes. First it was medical in a few states. Then it was decriminalized in a few others. More and more states joined the fold. Then voters passed recreational retail pot here in Colorado and Washington state a year ago, and now people are already talking about the potential of Oregon and others following our lead. Pot is still illegal under federal law, mind you, but for now the feds are saying they're leaving these kinds of decisions to the states without their interference.

This comment has been chosen by Guardian staff because it contributes to the debate

In a specialist magazine, there are endless things to discuss.

But in a mainstream paper, I suspect there are only so many news stories in a Colorado context: So do you see yourself generalising this to cooking, gardening, for example, to give this role more material ?

James, we already have been reporting on pot as an ingredient in the kitchen (http://bit.ly/191lLoP), pot in your backyard garden (http://bit.ly/191lzpx and http://bit.ly/191lGBI). Want a killer recipe for a cannabis-zucchini bread? Check that first link, which ran in print in The Denver Post a few months ago. Post readers will see much more of this (as well as stories addressing the culture of cannabis in our daily lives) in the coming year in addition to the news coverage that we've focused so much on.

How is Colorado's "recreational use" law different than the drug laws in the Netherlands and some of the other "hot spots" you mentioned? Do you think Colorado's marijuana law will slowly become even more open/progressive?

The comments here are on-point for the most part. Each comparison has its own similarities and dissimilarities. Colorado and Washington legalized it at the same time, but our retail shops will open well before theirs - and the regulations (and the process behind those regs) will be quite different. In Colorado tourists will be able to purchase pot, but tourists won't have that freedom in Uruguay, from what I understand. In the Netherlands, pot is technically illegal, even though it's tolerated; In Colorado, it is legal.

This comment has been chosen by Guardian staff because it contributes to the debate

As someone who has recently stopped smoking cannabis after many many years of use, and not light use either I've always been unsure on the effects on ones mental health, as with any drugs there are associated mental health problems (even caffeine makes some suffer from anxiety). Do you think a change in the law will allow for better research in this area and if cannabis is found to have a detrimental effect on someone's mind permanently maybe better strains that do not have such effects?

There are of course already studies suggesting what levels of THC, CBD and CBN are found in strains have different effects but could legalisation lead the way to more factual evidence and possible safer outcome for users (if it is proven there are negative effects)?